From Mangelsdorff, Thelin and Rutherford, to Connie and Johannes Bauer, the European free music scene has produced some of the most extraordinary trombonists in jazz and improvised music. Samuel Blaser (b. 1981) seems destined to join that line, and as this terrific live set with Pierre Favre from 2018 demonstrates, he is already proving to be a supremely resourceful keeper of the flame.
Coming more than a decade after their Vol À Voile (Intakt), this music is being released to coincide with Favre’s 85th birthday. Its title alludes to Favre’s frequent quip that both he and Blaser were born in the same part of Switzerland, at different times. Blaser may be less than half Favre’s age, but theirs is such a total meeting of minds that the absurdity of the joke always lands well with audiences.
Save for two evergreens, the pieces are all jointly credited, but even in such an open setting where the music can get gnarly, it always retains a laser-like focus. Favre’s spacious cymbals and precise stick work shape the flow of the opener, Blaser’s bright solo eventually dancing to a ritual beat. La Moretta finds Blaser ascending from growling multiphonics through to long flowing lines as Favre breaks into a swing-style shuffle. The swing-time rhythms carry over into the title track, and Favre’s love for Messrs Catlett, Dodds and Greer is even more apparent during the roustabout La Danse Des Ours.
Both of the standards strike the perfect balance between reverence and freedom, though in truth that can be said of the entirety of this joyful performance. The digital edition offers two extra tracks, Rosters and Daily Journal, but whichever format you choose, Same Place, Another Time will come as a welcome tonic.
Discography:
L’Oiseau De Couleur; La Moretta; Same Place, Another Time; ’Round Midnight; Roosters; Daily Journal; La Pinocchio; La Danse Des Ours; Mood Indigo (59.00)
Favre (d); Blaser (tb). 23 October 2018, Klein Theatre, Luzern, Switzerland.
Blaser Music BM010LP, Digital DL
